Day 9 - Grand Canyon - Helicopter Ride

We got up this morning and skipped breakfast, opting for just coffee instead. We didn't want to take a chance on getting sick on the helicopter. We headed over to the airport and waited for our pilot to call us. There were 6 passengers and the pilot. They told us that we would take photos after the flight so we put on our headphones and seat belts and took off.

Our pilot assured us that he had a great deal of experience and that we would be in good hands. We found this to be the case as we left the airport, crossing the Kaibob National Forest heading to the northeast end of the Arizona side of the Grand Canyon. The forest wasn't so dense that you could see elk here and there. In the distance to the south was Humphrey's Peak, covered in snow.

Soon the forest seemed to just drop out from under us and the canyon seemed to surround us. The pilot pointed out various landmarks as the helicopter turned and lowered.

I was seated in the center in the back and so my photos had partially obstructed views but they were still just breathtaking.  Randy had a window seat and was able to make a video of the some of the flight. 

At one point we even saw a small herd of buffalo near a ranch. They are very rare and I got a few of them in a photo but it didn't turn out very well. The entire trip took about 45 minutes but the time passed too quickly. We only flew as far as the park boundaries and then headed back to the airport.

By the time the ride was over we were ready for a quick bite and then we headed back out to the canyon. We rode around Grand Canyon Village for a bit to sort of get our bearings and then parked.  We walked to the shuttle stop and rode to the first overlook. I was finally able to figure out how to do an panorama with my camera.

My first Panorama Attempt

Second Attempt.  Biggify this and you'll see shadows with no people.
I had to wait for people to walk past me so it looks like ghost shadows. Hahahaha!

Our Fearless Photographer......

truly fearless.  He would look around to see if I was watching.

Finally, after thoroughly filling ourselves with the wonder of the views and feeling totally spent and exhausted, we headed back to our car to go back to the hotel.  As we got in the car, I looked across the road and there, right in the middle of the village were elk.

They seemed thoroughly at ease and fearless. Huge and fearless. I was really antsy being so close to them because I know that animals are unpredictable so I encouraged Randy to go on. I was afraid one of them would feel threatened and attack our car. Finally, to my great relief, we headed back to the hotel and stopped along the way at the local Mexican restaurant where we would have one of many excellent Mexican meals out west. We spent the evening going through our photos, reliving our helicopter ride, catching up on correspondence and plotting our trip to Phoenix because we would be leaving the next morning.

The Grand Canyon is beautiful beyond belief. It made me feel very small and insignificant. It reminds me of  the lyrics to a beautiful song by Beth Neilson Chapman...  Click on the link to hear it.

All alone I came into this world,

All alone I will one day die.

Solid stone is just sand and water, baby.

Sand and water and a million years gone by.